Florida Permit Desk

Who Issues Building Permits for My Florida Address? City vs. County, Explained

Last verified against official sources: · Guide

Independent guide, not a government site. Confirm every requirement with the building office for your address before starting work. Items marked Unverified could not be confirmed on an official page.

Short answer: the permit comes from the "appropriate enforcing agency" for your property.[1] In most of Florida that means:

  • Inside a city or town that runs a building department: the city issues the permit.
  • Outside any city (unincorporated area): the county issues it.
  • Some small cities use the county's building department or contracted building services instead of their own staff.[2][8][12]

The catch is that you often can't tell which one applies from your mailing address. The reliable way is your parcel number.

Why it isn't always obvious

Florida law makes each local government responsible for enforcing the building code in its area.[2] Counties and cities can also form shared enforcement districts by interlocal agreement.[2] So the office that handles your permit depends on where the parcel legally sits and on any agreements that city has made, not on the name of the post office that serves you.

Step 1: Find your parcel number

Every county property appraiser publishes a free parcel search. Search your address and note the parcel number. Its name differs by county:

County What it's called How to read the jurisdiction
Miami-Dade Folio number (13 digits) The first two digits are the municipal code. 30 means unincorporated Miami-Dade, served by the County.[5]
Palm Beach PCN (Parcel Control Number) The first two digits show the jurisdiction. 00 means unincorporated Palm Beach County; other codes are on the appraiser's list.[6]
Broward Folio / parcel ID Broward's permit search lets you search by address and city, or by folio.[7] Check the city listed on your parcel record. Unverified (We have not found an official Broward page that explains how to read a city code from the folio.)

Step 2: Match the code to an office

  • Unincorporated → the county building department.
  • A city code → that city's building department, unless it uses the county or a contractor.

County directories make this easier:

  • Miami-Dade publishes a municipal building contacts list. See our Miami-Dade guide.
  • Broward publishes a Building Code Officials directory covering the County and all 31 municipalities.[8] See our Broward guide.
  • For Palm Beach County, the City of Palm Beach Gardens publishes a directory of all 39 municipalities' building offices.[12] See our Palm Beach guide.

For any other county, use the state's organization search to find the local building department.[4]

Step 3: Call or check the office's site

Before you apply, confirm with the office:

  • that your address is in its jurisdiction
  • what you need to submit (Florida requires local agencies to post application types and requirements online, and to accept electronic submission)[1]
  • whether other agencies must sign off too.

That last point matters. Florida law requires a notice on permits warning that there may be more restrictions on your property in public records, and that other agencies (such as water management districts, or state or federal agencies) may require their own permits.[1]

What changed in 2026: work under $7,500

A new law (HB 803) added an exemption that took effect on 1 July 2026.[9][1]

  • A local government must exempt the owner of a single-family dwelling, or the owner's contractor, from needing a building permit for work valued under $7,500.
  • It does not apply to electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work.
  • It does not apply to property partly or fully in a flood hazard area.
  • You can't split one project into smaller ones to get under the limit.
  • You must submit a written request with the contract or other proof of what the work is and what it costs.
  • The local government has no legal duty for work it exempts this way.[1]

Local offices are putting this into practice in their own way. Miami-Dade, for example, takes these requests through its permitting portal and lists examples of what counts as structural (such as windows, doors, wind-resistant fences and sheds).[10] Ask your office how it handles the request.

Separately, the law has long let local governments adopt their own exemptions for some minor owner work, though not in flood hazard areas.[2] These lists vary by county and city.

If you'll do the work yourself (owner-builder)

Florida lets an owner act as their own contractor for a one- or two-family home, or a farm outbuilding, for the owner's own use, or for a commercial building costing up to $75,000, as long as the owner directly supervises the work on site.[3]

  • The owner must personally appear and sign the permit application.[3]
  • If you sell or lease the property within one year after the work is finished, the law presumes you built it for sale, which the exemption doesn't allow.[3]
  • Local offices add their own steps. Palm Beach County, for example, requires the owner to sign the affidavit in person and have it notarized by Building Division staff.[11]

Buying a home with an old open permit?

Florida law says a buyer can't be penalized solely because a previous owner failed to close a permit.[1] The law also lets an owner close an open or expired permit by hiring a licensed contractor or by acting as an owner-builder, and lets a local agency close a permit 6 years after it was issued without a final inspection if there's no apparent safety hazard.[1] See How to Find Your Roof's Permit Date for how to search a property's permit history.

Common questions

My mailing address says a city name. Does that city issue my permit?

Not necessarily. Both Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties tell property owners to use the parcel number, not the mailing address, to find the jurisdiction.[5][6] Look up your parcel on the county property appraiser's site and check the municipal code.

Can a small city use the county's building department?

Yes. Florida law lets counties and cities form enforcement districts by interlocal agreement.[2] In Broward, for example, the County's building official also serves Lazy Lake and North Lauderdale.[8]

Is there a statewide list of every building department?

The state's Florida Building Code Information System has an organization search you can use to look up local building departments.[4] Confirm contact details on the department's own website.

Do I still need a permit for a small job under the new $7,500 rule?

Maybe not, but only for some work and only if you ask. Since 1 July 2026, the local government must exempt single-family owners from a building permit for work under $7,500, but not for electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work, and not in a flood hazard area. You must submit a written request with the contract or other proof of the work's value.[1]

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from the official sources below, checked on 21 October 2026.

  1. Florida Statutes § 553.79 (2026), Permits; applications; issuance; inspections
  2. Florida Statutes § 553.80 (2026), Enforcement
  3. Florida Statutes § 489.103 (2026), Exemptions (owner-builder)
  4. Florida Building Code Information System: organization search (find local building departments)
  5. Miami-Dade Property Appraiser: Folio numbers and municipal codes
  6. Palm Beach County PZB: Building FAQ (PCN and jurisdiction)
  7. Broward County Building Code Division
  8. Broward County: Building Code Officials directory (PDF, dated October 2026)
  9. Florida Senate: CS/CS/HB 803 (2026), enrolled bill text (PDF)
  10. Miami-Dade County: Permit exemptions
  11. Palm Beach County PZB: Owner/Builder Building Permit Guidelines (PDF)
  12. City of Palm Beach Gardens: Palm Beach County Municipal Building Department Directory (PDF, compiled 7 Oct 2026)